Form guide apparatus



March3l, 1959 0. G. ISAACS, JR

FORM GUIDE APPARATUS 4 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR.

OAKLEY G. ISAACS JR.

wiiiiii Will;

Filed Sept. 20;,- 1957 WM A. 71

AGENT Fiied Sept. 20, .1957

March 31 1959 o. G. ISAACS, JR 2,879,878 FORM GUIDE APPARATUS 4Sheets-Shet 2 INVENTOR.

OAKLEY s. ISAACS JR.

Judah 2? 0 1:

AGE NT 0; G2'1sAAcs, JR

FORM GUIDE APPARATUS March 31,- 1959 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 20,1957 INVENTOR. OAKLEY G. ISAACS JR.

P. AGENT Mam}! 1959 o. GJs AAcs, JR 2,879,878

FORM GUIDE APPARATUS Filed Sept. 20, 1957 4'Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR.OAKLEY G. ISAACS JR.

AGENT United States Patent Office 2,879,878 Patented Mar. 31, 1959 FORMGUIDE APPARATUS Oakley G. Isaacs, Jr., Washington, D. C., assignor toBurroughs Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of MichiganApplication September 20, 1957, Serial No. 685,326

8 Claims. (Cl. 197-128) This invention relates to improvements in formguide constructions for business machines and the like machines.

An object of the invention is to provide an improved construction ofform guide apparatus.

A further object of the invention is to provide a form guide mechanismwhich extends across the full width of a platen of an accounting machineand wherein the form guide will assume the same position each time theplaten is in its print position. When, however, the platen is moved toits open or non-print position, the form guide may, at the option of theoperator, be made to assume one of twodifferent positions;

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description referring to the accompanying drawingsinwhich:

Fig. 1 is a general front elevational view of the invention embodied inthe carriage of a business machine;

Fig. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the form guideapparatus removed from the carriage shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the form guide apparatus with theplaten shown in its most forward or print position;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the form guide apparatus similar tothat shown in Fig. 3 with the platen in its print position and with cammeans which determine the position of the form guide means when theplaten is in its open, or retracted, position set in a differentposition from that shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a view of the form guide apparatus in which the platen hasbeen moved to its retracted or non-print position and in which cammingmechanism has been set in the manner as illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a view of the form' guide apparatus in which the platen hasbeen moved to its retracted, or non-print, position and in whichcamrning mechanism has been set in a predetermined condition asillustrated in Fig. 4.

The carriage 10 shown in Fig. 1 may be similar to that shown in PatentNumber 2,629,549 to T. M. Butler, dated February 24, 1953, which may bedriven in either the tabulating or the return direction, that is,rightwardly or leftwardly by means described in detail in theabove-mentioned patent.

The carriage includes right and left carriage frame end plates 11 and 12respectively, which are suitably braced and tied together to maintainsaid plates in rigid spaced relationship. A roller platen 13 is mountedon a shaft 14 which is journalled in bushings 15 spun into two camplates 16. Each cam plate 16 (Fig. 3) is pivoted on a screw 17 whichpasses through an car on the plate, and is passed through the adjacentone of two platen frame end plates 18. By means of studs 19 the camplates 16 may be accurately positioned with respect to the platen frameend plates.

The platen frame end plates 18 are secured to collars 20 (Fig. 1) pinnedon a shaft 21 which is journalled in bushings spun into the carriage endplates 11 and 12. The

platen frame end plates 18 are so tied together and braced that said endplates are retained in rigid spaced relationship to constitute a platenframe 22.

The platen frame may be rocked clockwise about the axis of shaft 21 tomove the platen 13 rearwardly from its normal printing position shown inFig. 3 to its nonprinting position, shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The latterpositions facilitate the insertion of the paper relative to the plateninto the machine. The platen frame may likewise be returned counterclockwise to position the platen to its normal printing position. Forthis purpose a bail member 23, extending substantially the full width ofthe carriage, as seen in Fig. 1, is supported by arms 24 to swingforwardly and rearwardly beneath the carriage. The arms in turn arefixed to a platen frame rocking shaft 25 journalled near its ends inbushings 26 spun in carriage end plates 11 and 12.

Arms 27, 27a, secured at their lower forward ends to shaft 25, have intheir upper rear ends longitudinally elongated solts each embracing aroller stud 28 secured in the lower forward end of a respective one oftwo arms 29. Each arm 29 is secured on a hub pinned on the outer end ofa respective one of two shafts 30 each journalled in a bushing 31secured in the respective carriage end plates 11 and 12. Each of two camarms 32 is secured on a hub pinned on the inner end of a respective oneof the shafts 30 and each has a cam slot embracing a roller 33 rotatableon a stud secured in the rear portion of the adjacent one of the platenframe end plates 18. The cam slot in each cam arm 32 has an upper rearand lower front dwell portion concentric with the shaft 30, the lowerfront dwell portion being at the greater radius from the axisof theshaft 30, and an inclined portion connecting the two dwell portions.

When the bail 23 is swung forwardly, the cam arms 32 are swungdownwardly pulling the rollers 33 and platen frame rearwardly about theshaft 21 to retract the platen 13 rearwardly from its printing position.When the bail 23 is returned rearwardly, the platen frame and platen arereturned forwardly to printing position.

To facilitate and guide the insertion of paper into the carriage, aswill be explained in detail hereinafter (Figs. 1 and 2), an inwardlyextending stud 34 is secured in each of the carriage end plates 11 and12. Each stud rotatably supports a hub or sleeve 35 on the inner end ofwhich an arm 36 is secured. Each arm 36 rotatably supports a headedshouldered screw 37 threaded into the respective end of a torque shaft38 extending the full length and a little beyond the ends of the platen13. A stud 39 extends inwardly from the end of each arm 36 for a purposewhich will presently be described. The ends of the aforementioned shaft38 also pass through arms 40, umbrellashaped cam members 41, andbellcranks 42, 42a, all of which are thus supported for pivotal movementabout the axis of shaft 38.

Calling attention to Fig. 2 in particular, it is further seen thattorque shaft 38 has a bushing 43 pinned near each end thereof whichprevents axial movement of the aforementioned members 36, 40, 41, 42 and42a. Bellcranks 42, 42a are brazed or otherwise affixed to saidbushings, so that movement of bellcrank 42 will, through said torqueshaft, produce a like movement of cran'k42a. Arms 36, 40, and members41, however, move relative to shaft 38. Member 40 includes a projectingtoe portion carrying a roller 44 rotatable on a stud secured in the toeportion. The roller engages a cam surface of the previously mentionedcam plates 16 afiixed to platen frame end plates 18. A spring 45 affixedat each of its ends to arms 36 and 40 respectively urges the rollersinto engagement with the cam surfaces of the plates 16 and causes thearms to move relatively to each other in scissor-like fashion as theplaten is rocked back and forth between print and non-print positions asillustrated in Figs. 3 and 5 respectively. The heel portions of membersslightly removed from rollers 44 are apertured to receive axialllyaligned stub like shaft portions 46. These shaft portions extendoutwardly from enlarged boss portions 47 affixed to right and left handbrackets 48, 49, to and between which are mounted a form guide 50. Splitwashers'51 are engaged in grooves on each shaft' and lock the formgu'ideto arms 40 against axial rnovement.

" "It should be observed that the form guide 50 is mounted for pivotalmovement with respect to the arms 40, and further that the a rms may bemoved bodily by virtue of the aforementioned scissor like action of arms36 and 40, as the platen is moved between print and non-print positions(compare Fig. 3' with Fig. '5, for example). i

' Arm'36, as previously described, carries an inwardly extending stud39, and each arm correspondingly carries a stud 52. The aforementionedumbrella-shaped member 41 includes a pair of elongated arcuate slotsspaced from each other which embrace studs 39 and 52.' The handle, orlower extending portion of the umbrella-shaped member, has mountedthereon an inwardly extending stud 53 which is embraced in an elongatedslot of bracket 49 and is constrained to ride therein by means of splitwasher 54.

A disc-like cam 55 is pivotally mounted on umbrellashaped member 41 byan elongated stud 56 received in anaperture of the member locatedbetween the previously mentioned arcuate slots. One arm of theaforementioned bell-cranks 42, 42a, has mounted on its extremity a stud57 which is received in an elongated slot in cam 55 and which extendsradially from stud 56. A generally V-shaped torsion spring 58, includingarms 59 and 60, is suitably secured by its arms respectively to studs 56and'57. The combined action of manually operable bellcranks 42, 42a, andspring 58, is such that cam 55 can be pivoted by virtue of stud 56relative to umbrella-shaped member 41 to assume and retain the positionsshown in Figs. 3 and 4. In order to change the position of cam 55fromthat shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4 the arms 59 and 60, ofthe spring 58, are first squeezed together by the rotative movement ofbellcrank 42 until the dead center position is reached, thereafter thespring assists by applying a torque to the bellcrank 42 in its directionof rotation.

Calling particular attention to Fig. 3 it is observed that the edge ofcam 55 is so shaped that in the position shown, the stud 52 of member 40is locked in the lower extremity of its corresponding slot in member 41;whereas movement of stud 39 is unobstructed in its corresponding arcuateslot. Conversely, referring to Fig. 4, with the bellcrank 42 rotatedcounterclockwise and the cam 55 rotated clockwise, it is seen that thecam 55 now locks stud 39 of arm 36 in the extremity of its correspondingslot and that stud 52 of arm 40 is unobstructed with respect to movementin its corresponding slot. It should be again emphasized that Figs. 3and 4 illustrate the platen in its printposition as distinguished fromits retracted, or non-print, positions shown in Figs. 5 and 6.

The geometry inherent in the shape and relatedness of arms 36, 40, andumbrella-shaped member 41, is such that rotation of form guide 50relative to arm 40 upon which it is pivoted, can either be permitted, orconversely restrained at the option of the operator. If it is desiredthat the form guide be restrained against rotation relative to arm 40upon movement of the platen between its print and non-print positions,then umbrella-shaped member 41 is locked against rotation relative toarm 40. It is observed that arm 40 and member 41 share a com rnon pivotabout the axis of shaft 38. Consequently, if stud :52 is locked againstmovement in its corerspond igg arcuate slot in member 41 by the cam 55being positioned as shown in Fig. 3, then the stud 53 on the extensionof member 41 cannot move with respect to arm 40 by virtue of sharing thesame pivot on shaft 38. Thus when the platen is rocked from its printposition, shown in Fig. 3, to its non-print retracted position shown inFig. 5, the roller 44 rolls down the cam surface on plate 16 and theinclination of form guide 50 relative to arm 40 remains unchanged.However it is observed that arm 36 has rotated counterclockwise from itsoriginal position shown in Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 5.

Calling attention now to Figs. 4 and 6, if it is desired that the formguide 50 rotate relative to arm 40 when the platen and frame are rockedclockwise from a print position shown in Fig. 4 to a non-print positionshown in Fig. 6, or vice versa, then the cam 55 is positioned to preventmovement of the stud 39 in its corresponding arcuate slot inumbrella-shaped member 41. Since arm 36 and member-4 1 "sh'ar'e the samepivot by virtue of shaft"3'8,ar m 36 and "member 41 are restrainedagainst relative rotative movement. As the platen is rocked, stud 53 nowmoves with respect to arm 48 as the aforementioned scissor-like movementis imparted to arms 36 and 40. Stud 53 afiixed to member 41 consequentlybiases form guide 50 through slotted brackets 48 and 49 causing the sameto rotate about its pivot on arm 40.

It is thus seen that the form guide assumes the same position each timethe platen is in its print position and upon movement of the platen toits retracted or non-print position the form guide may at the option ofthe operator be made to assume one of two different positions. When theform guide 50 is locked to member 40 by the apparatus described, theform guide is bodily moved by the rocking action of the platen. When,however, the form guide is locked to the alternate scissor-like arm 36 abodily movement plus a relative movement (i.e. rotation of form guide 50relative to arm 40) is imparted to the form guide.

While there have been shown and described and pointed out thefundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a preferredembodiment, it is to be understood that various omissions andsubstitutions and changes in form and details of the apparatusillustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in theart, without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is theintention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of theclaims which follow.

' What is claimed is:

1. In form guide apparatus for a business machine including a carriage,a platen, a frame carrying said platen and mounted for pivotal movementrelative to said'carriage, means for pivoting said frame from a printposition to a non-print position, form guide means, scissor meanssupporting said form guide means for relative pivotal movement withrespect to said carriage and said frame, cam means connecting saidscissor means and said form guide means, and means co-acting with saidcam means in one position thereof to lock said form guide means and saidscissor means against relative motion and in a second position thereofto permit relative movement between said form guide and said scissormeans.

2. In form guide apparatus for a business machine including a carriage,a platen, a frame carrying said platen and mounted for pivotal movementin said carriage, means for pivoting said frame in said carriage betweena print position and a non-print position, form guide means, first meanssupporting said form guide means for pivotal movement and having aslidable connection with said frame, second means supporting said firstmeans and having a pivotal connection with the said carriage, cam meansinterconnecting said formguide means and said first and second means,said cam means being shiftable to a first position thereof to permitrela 75, tive movement between said form guide means and said firstsupporting means upon rotation of said platen frame from its printposition to its non-print position, and shiftable to a second positionto lock said form guide means and said first supporting means againstrelative movement upon rotation of said platen frame from its printposition to its non-print position, and manual means for shifting saidcam means between said first and second positions.

3. In form guide apparatus for business machines and the like, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, a carriage supporting said platen andframe for pivotal movement between print and non-print positions, formguide means, first arm means supporting the latter for pivotal movement,second arm means having a pivotal connection with said first arm meansand having another pivotal connection with said carriage, and cam meansinterconnecting said first and second arm means and said form guidemeans, said cam means being movable to one position thereof to lock saidform guide means against pivotal movement with respect to said first armmeans upon movement of said frame from a print to a non-print positionand movable to a second position thereof to permit relative movementbetween said form guide means and said first arm means upon movement ofsaid frame from a print to a non-print position.

4. In form guide apparatus for business and the like machines, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, means supporting said frame for pivotalmovement, means for pivotally moving said platen and frame between printand non-print positions, form guide means, first and second arm meanssupporting said form guide means, pin slot means interconnecting saidfirst and second arm means and said form guide means, said first andsecond arm means and said pin slot means having a common pivotalconnection and said second arm means being pivotally connected to saidmeans for supporting said frame, said first arm means having a slidingconnection with said frame and rotatable with respect to said second armmeans upon pivotal movement of said frame, and manual means co-actingwith said pin slot means and shiftable to one position thereof to locksaid first arm means and said pin slot means against relative movementupon the aforementioned pivotal movement of said frame whereby said formguide means is restrained against pivotal movement with respect to saidfirst arm means.

5. In form guide apparatus for business and the like machines, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, means supporting said frame for pivotalmovement, means for pivotally moving said frame between print andnon-print positions, form guide means, first arm means pivotallysupporting said form guide means, second arm means pivotally connectedto said means for supporting said frame, pin slot means having a commonpivotal connection with said first and second arm means andinterconnecting said first and second arm means and said form guidemeans, said first arm means having a sliding connection with said frameand rotatable with respect to said second arm means upon pivotalmovement of said frame, and manual means coacting with said pin slotmeans and shiftable to a predetermined position thereof to lock saidsecond arm means and said pin slot means against relative movement uponthe aforementioned pivotal movement of said frame whereby said formguide means is bodily moved and pivotally rotated with respect to saidfirst arm means.

6. In form guide apparatus for business and the like machines, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, means supporting said frame for pivotalmovement, means for pivotally moving said frame between print andnonprint positions, form guide means having a slot therein, first armmeans pivotally supporting said form guide means and having a rollerengaging said frame at one end thereof and having a stud projecting fromits other end, second arm means having a stud projecting from one endthereof and being pivotally mounted on said frame at its other end, cammeans having a pair of arcuate slots receiving said studs projectingfrom said first and second arm means and having an elongated portionwith a stud projecting into the slot of said form guide means, saidfirst and second arm means and said cam means having a common pivotalmounting, and means carried by said cam means andsettable in onerelative position thereto to lock said first arm means and said cammeans against relative movement upon rotation of said frame between itsprint and non-print position to thereby restrain said form guide meansagainst rotation relative to said first arm means and settable inanother position thereof to lock said second arm means and said cammeans against relative movement upon rotation of said frame whereby saidform guide means is biased by said cam means to rotate upon its pivot onsaid first arm means. A

7. In form guide apparatus for business machines and the like, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, means supporting said frame for pivotalmovement, means for pivotally moving said frame relative to thesupporting means, form guide means, first, second and third membershaving a common pivotal connection, said first member pivotallysupporting said form guide means and having a sliding connection withsaid frame, said second member having a pivotal connection with themeans for supporting said frame, said third member interconnecting saidfirst and second members and said form guide means, and means mounted onsaid third member and shiftable to one position thereof to lock saidfirst and third members against relative rotation on said common pivotalconnection whereby said form guide means is restrained against rotationrelative to said first member upon the aforementioned rotation of saidframe between its print and non-print positions, and shiftable to asecond position thereof to lock said second and third members againstrelative rotation on said common pivotal connection whereby said thirdmember pivotally moves said form guide means relative to said firstmember upon such movement of said frame between print and non-printpositions.

8. In form guide apparatus for business machines and the like, a platen,a frame carrying said platen, and including a cam surface thereon, meanssupporting said frame for pivotal movement, means for pivotally movingsaid frame relative to the supporting means between print and non-printpositions, form guide means, first, second and third members having acommon pivotal connection, said first member pivotally supporting saidform guide means and having a roller engaging the cam surface on saidframe, said second member having a pivotal connection with the means forsupporting said frame, said third member interconnecting said first andsecond members and said form guide means, spring means affixed to saidfirst and second members to urge said roller into contact with said camsurface, and means mounted on said third member and shiftable to oneposition thereof to lock said first and third members against relativerotation on said common pivotal connection whereby said form guide meansis restrained against rotation relative to said first member upon theaforementioned rotation of said frame between its print and non-printpositions and shiftable to a second position thereof to lock said secondand third members against relative rotation on said common pivotalconnection whereby said third member pivotally moves said form guidemeans relative to said first member upon such movement of said framebetween print and non-print'positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,627,333 Butler Feb. 3, 1953

